FORT COLLINS — Let’s take a second to be honest. Not brutally. But honest. Last season, the Colorado State defense line was in shambles. Undersized and undermanned it was in such dire straits that Lanston Tanyi transferred to CSU in the summer from another program with no knowledge of the coaches or the Rams program and just one year of eligibility to learn everything and play – and was the best player on the defensive front.

Injuries didn’t help. And because of all of that, CSU defensive coaches had to junk it up with the front seven in order to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks or hold gaps to slow down running backs.

Colorado State continues to wrap up the season with team honors, with recognition this time coming from the team itself. Defensive lineman Lanston Tanyi was named CSU’s 2012 MVP by vote of current team members.

And he deserved it.

A late summer transfer from Appalachian State, Tanyi came to the Rams as a grad student with one year of eligibility. And he made the most of it. Tanyi finished with 77 tackles (26 solo), six quarterback hurries, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State coach Jim McElwain will not toss away the old school (inherited players) just to get to the new (recruited players).

But the new-school players are making a lasting impression, to say the least. And it’s led, in part, by one guy.

Senior Lanston Tanyi is at the forefront of a movement McElwain wants all of his players to embody. Tanyi is new-school in arrival status only. An August transfer from Appalachian State, he’s playing one season in Colorado State – and playing it well.

He’ll come and go without ever being heard from; CSU’s media policy has barred him from doing interviews. It’s too bad, because a man who has come in and in a month appeared to lock down a defensive end spot, has risen to fifth on the team in tackles (20), leads the team in fumble recoveries (two) and become a shining example in practice of how McElwain wants his players to approach the game, should be heard from.

Yet Tanyi will toil in silence. But McElwain spoke up about just how much Tanyi means to the program he is trying to create.

“He’s got a motor and he plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” McElwain said. “He plays hard, he plays unselfish. When you watch this dude conditioning, he’s first in line and he’s running and he’s a guy that’s playing that way from start to finish.”

It’s Tanyi’s belief in the system and not just willingness, but eagerness, to attack all the coaches are implementing and asking of the players that has impressed McElwain most.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “When you look at some of the guys who are newer to the program, when you get to conditioning, they’re out front. Maybe they haven’t been tainted by past history. You understand what I’m getting at? Now, that’s contagious. That’s what you want.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

FORT COLLINS – For the second straight year, a thin – in numbers and weight – Colorado State defensive line figures to cause coaches restless nights and test their ability to be creative in putting together packages that can make it effective.

Gone is graduate Nuku Latu from the interior, end C.J. James to transfer, and end Nordly Capi to dismissal from the university. James and Capi were the team’s top defensive ends a year ago – Capi led the team with 10 sacks. So, yes, this is a sizeable job for co-defensive coordinators Marty English and Al Simmons put the pieces of this puzzle together in a way that works.

Starters: In CSU’s new 3-4 alignment, which features a lot of stunting and twisting up front, sophomore John Froland and senior Zach Tiedgen are likely to get the first crack at starting. Froland was an interior lineman last season in the Rams’ 4-3 scheme and is the best of the down linemen. In 11 starts last season he recorded 34 tackles, a forced fumble and a half-sack. In the middle, expect to see junior Curtis Wilson, a player that notched a couple of sacks among his 12 tackles last season.

FORT COLLINS – Though Colorado State coach Jim McElwain put on a brave face a couple of days ago and expressed happiness with the progress of a suspect defensive line, the addition of four players may tell more of the real tale.

The Rams added two defensive linemen among the four –Eli Edwards and Lanston Tanyi, in addition to wide receiver Jordan White and defensive back Jasen Oden.

The defensive linemen are both transfers.

The 6-1, 250-pound Tanyi comes to the Rams from Appalachian State, where he graduated from in May. He’s got one year of eligibility and is expected to enroll in CSU’s graduate program for education human resources. Last season he recorded 20 tackles playing in just in four games, though he spent most of it suspended for a violation of team rules.

Edwards is 6-1, 244-pound end who comes in from Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. He played two seasons at the juco and has two years of eligibility remaining.

White is a player that could add depth to the receiver spot. A freshman out of Palm Springs (Calif.) High, caught 38 passes for 664 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season. At 6-4, he’s the tallest receiver on the Rams’ roster.

Oden is also a freshman, coming from North Carolina Tech Christian Academy in Charlotte. He is 6-1, 190 pounds.

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.